CHARLOTTE, N.C. — North Carolina's Department of Division of Motor Vehicles wants to reduce the amount of in-person visits people make to their offices. It might mean getting some paperwork handled right next to the produce section.
Summer is the DMV's busiest season. But there's also a shortage of workers, and the department says not enough people are utilizing online services. All of this is causing long wait lines.
"If you do the right thing and have nothing really odd happen in your life, you really only physically have to be in a driver's license office in North Carolina once every 16 years," Wayne Goodwin, North Carolina’s DMV Commissioner said.
Goodwin says a significant number of people flood the DMV offices for tasks that could easily be accomplished online. He wants the agency to reduce in-person visits and make the traditional DMV visit a thing of the past.
Another way of doing that is setting up access to those services elsewhere.
"We're launching later this year the first of our kiosks," Goodwin said, "and that will mean folks won't have to come physically to the DMV."
The kiosks would offer access to services you can already do online and don't require a physical visit to the DMV office.
"They go to the grocery store and order their DMV service, their renewals or whatever it may be, while they're shopping for groceries," Goodwin said.
These new kiosks are expected to come to the Charlotte area this fall sometime in October. Until then, Goodwin says there's a way to reduce your time at the DMV using their wait time calculator, their check-in system, and not showing up before noon for your walk-in appointment.
"We don't need folks showing up at six in the morning to line up," Goodwin said, "because the customers who are there for walk-ins, we don't start serving those until noon.”
Stephanie Griffith, a long-time North Carolina resident, vividly recalls her early experiences at the North Carolina DMV, where long lines and extensive wait times were the norm.
"I just moved here with three small kids and waited in line," Griffith said. "Got there before they even opened so I could get in line and waited in line a long time. Couple hours. It was bad. It was bad.”
However, her recent visit to the exact East Charlotte location was remarkably different. Armed with information she found online, Griffith took advantage of the new walk-in system, allowing her to complete her DMV task swiftly and efficiently.
"I was in a hurry," Griffith said, "and so I looked it up online and saw that this one was open certain hours, and I had a small amount of time. And I just came over here and that they took walk-ins and I came over here and was in and out in less than an hour."
Goodwin said appointments are for a specific group of people.
"Appointments are for folks who are planning months out and who have an expiration coming up for a special trigger day," he said, "that, by and large, that's what the appointments are for."
As the DMV continues its quest for efficiency, people are encouraged to explore the various online services available.
How to navigate the DMV in North Carolina.
- Figure out if your service can be done online or must be done in person. Here’s a list of online services offered at the N.C. DMV.
- If it must be done in person, ask yourself if you have three months or more to get the service done. If yes, create an appointment. You can create an appointment here.
- If not, find the nearest DMV location to you and use the DMV’s walk-in wait time tool.
- Choose the office type or visit you need.
- Choose the location with the least wait time as indicated on the map.
- When you visit the DMV location, find the QR Code at the front of the DMV office to check in and be placed in line.
You can find a seat in the DMV or wait in your car until it’s your turn in line.
Contact Shamarria Morrison at smorrison@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.